One step: now Cowen must go all the way

If talk was all it took to get this country out of the mire then Ireland would be on course for instant economic recovery

Brian Cowen's "unscripted" speech to a Dublin audience on Thursday evening, in which he warned of collapsing living standards and implored the people to use their "can-do" spirit to face the challenges ahead, reeked of pure stage management. After just a few hours, several commentators, most of whom spend their working lives within walking distance of Government Buildings, seemed ready to accord Mr Cowen's speech the status of the Gettysburg Address. The taoiseach told his audience he wanted to provide leadership that is cohesive, rational and determined. That's a relief because, to date, Mr Cowen has been none of these things. We have waited a long nine months for the taoiseach to shake himself out of the lethargy that has characterised his leadership. The damage caused by allowing the economy to drift, while he and his cabinet colleagues dithered, cannot be undone in a soundbite.